Neville Kneville
Well-Known Member
I'd have 3 in centre midfield. If Yaya was 100% I'd be tempted to use him. But I'd also be tempted to sit Zabba in front of the back 4.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Sterling or yaya against madrid?
- Thread starter AdamManCity
- Start date
Bluephoria
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 3 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 296
You may well be right. I have expunged the memory of that game from my mind..we tried that against barcelona last year, not sure it worked great.
burning blue soul
Well-Known Member
Yep, all that fits with my thinking as well. We need speedy players to close down quickly and break quickly. Sterling for me on the left, jesus on the right and kev central.Toure is a big no for me. He's not even fit after his recent injuries, added to the fact he's lazy as fuck, so why would we expect him to turn in a top quality performance from nowhere?
More likely he'll jog/walk around, flop on the floor each time someone goes shoulder-to-shoulder and be a passenger as Fernandinho and Fernando run themselves into the ground.
Win or lose that is the best forward line up we can field that can also defend.
quiet_riot
Well-Known Member
Neither
malg
Well-Known Member
If Sterling puts in 100% and chases everything down, then maybe I'd concede it, however he also gives the ball away very cheaply. That said, his best games have come in the CL, so maybe this will be another.We're playing Real Madrid, not Aston Villa. They're the better team and will have the majority of possession, unless something unexpected happens and they get reduced to 10 men early. Leicester have proved this season possession means nothing, it's what you do with it.
To give ourselves any chance we have to defend as a team, no weak links, no passengers. Even if Yaya is mentally bang on it which is always questionable at best, his body isn't capable of putting in 45 minutes of defensive work at the intensity we'll require without compromises, let alone 90/120 minutes. Sterling at least gives us a glimmer of hope in that respect, even if he's not as tactically aware as I would like, he's capable of making recovery runs to make up numbers, Yaya sadly isn't.
I've never been an advocate of just keeping the ball for it's own sake, as that's boring (I find Arsenal one of the more boring teams in the league to watch - and we've been guilty of it this season). I just believe that Yaya (and I include Silva in this), is the only player we have who can take the ball from our defence and find the forwards. I don't for one second think he slows it down, he just makes sure something is on before he goes for the forward pass.
Atletico have shown it can be done by using a defensive set up, I personally don't think we have the manager, or the players to pull that off. I also don't think the manager has the balls to drop a fully fit Yaya, or a fully fit Silva. He now has an excuse to do so, but I don't think he will.
Tricky one but i'd go:
Hart
Sagna Kompany Otamendi Clichy
Fernando *Yaya
Navas De Bruyne *Fernandinho
Aguero
*Fern to play quite deep so that at times it looks like a 4-3-2-1. He's done well in most odd places he's been played (CB, RW)
*with Nasri and Silva out, if we loose the ball often, we'd pay for it dearly. Keeping hold of the ball is a huge part of defending.
Hart
Sagna Kompany Otamendi Clichy
Fernando *Yaya
Navas De Bruyne *Fernandinho
Aguero
*Fern to play quite deep so that at times it looks like a 4-3-2-1. He's done well in most odd places he's been played (CB, RW)
*with Nasri and Silva out, if we loose the ball often, we'd pay for it dearly. Keeping hold of the ball is a huge part of defending.
MeatHunterrr
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 24 Apr 2014
- Messages
- 11,440
Yaya
If Sterling puts in 100% and chases everything down, then maybe I'd concede it, however he also gives the ball away very cheaply. That said, his best games have come in the CL, so maybe this will be another.
I've never been an advocate of just keeping the ball for it's own sake, as that's boring (I find Arsenal one of the more boring teams in the league to watch - and we've been guilty of it this season). I just believe that Yaya (and I include Silva in this), is the only player we have who can take the ball from our defence and find the forwards. I don't for one second think he slows it down, he just makes sure something is on before he goes for the forward pass.
Atletico have shown it can be done by using a defensive set up, I personally don't think we have the manager, or the players to pull that off. I also don't think the manager has the balls to drop a fully fit Yaya, or a fully fit Silva. He now has an excuse to do so, but I don't think he will.
So Sterling has to give 100% and chase everything down, when we can absolutely guarantee Yaya won't do either.
Sterling also has a better goal scoring record in the Champions League, has provided as many assists in less minutes on the pitch. Oh and then you look at the defensive contributions were Sterling has made more tackles and interceptions in the Champions League too, despite playing a wide role were there's less opportunity for both. Yet you still want to pick Yaya? Says it all.
Sterling also has more key passes in the Champions League this season.
Last edited:
Tricky one but i'd go:
Hart
Sagna Kompany Otamendi Clichy
Fernando *Yaya
Navas De Bruyne *Fernandinho
Aguero
*Fern to play quite deep so that at times it looks like a 4-3-2-1. He's done well in most odd places he's been played (CB, RW)
*with Nasri and Silva out, if we loose the ball often, we'd pay for it dearly. Keeping hold of the ball is a huge part of defending.
"keeping hold of the ball is a huge part of defending".
Really, tell that to Leicester and Athletico Madrid.
prestonibbo_mcfc
Well-Known Member
"keeping hold of the ball is a huge part of defending".
Really, tell that to Leicester and Athletico Madrid.
The biggest part of defending is fucking tackling and we don't do enough of that.